Zip Station

A simple, modern, open-source helpdesk system. Receive support emails, manage tickets, and respond to customers — all from one dashboard.

What's Inside

Zip Station runs as a set of Docker containers:

Container	What It Does
Service	The API that powers everything
Worker	Background jobs — checks for new emails, sends reports, monitors alerts
SPA	The web dashboard you use in your browser
MongoDB	The database (included, or bring your own)

Quick Start

1. Prerequisites

• Docker and Docker Compose installed
• A Firebase project (free tier is fine) — used for user login
• An email account for receiving support emails (any provider works — MXRoute, Gmail, etc.)

2. Download the Files

git clone https://github.com/your-org/zip-station.git
cd zip-station

3. Set Up Your Config

cp .env.example .env

Open .env in any text editor and fill in your values. See the Configuration Guide for details on each setting.

4. Start Everything

docker compose up -d

That's it! Open your browser to http://localhost:3000 and create your account.

5. Create Your First Project

The dashboard will walk you through a setup wizard:

1. Create your company
2. Create a project (e.g., "Softgoods Support")
3. Connect your support email (the wizard will test the connection for you)
4. Start receiving tickets!

Guides

• Configuration Guide — All the settings explained
• Email Setup Guide — How to connect your email provider
• Domain & DNS Guide — Point your domain to Zip Station
• Storage Setup Guide — Connect Backblaze or S3 for file attachments
• Advanced Deployment — Scaling, external databases, reverse proxies
• Updating — How to update to the latest version

How It Works

Customer sends email
      ↓
Zip Station checks your inbox every 2 minutes
      ↓
New emails appear in the Intake staging area
      ↓
You approve them → they become tickets
      ↓
You reply from the dashboard → customer gets your response via email

You can also set up rules to auto-approve emails from known senders, auto-deny spam, and more.

Requirements

• RAM: 1 GB minimum, 2 GB recommended
• Disk: 1 GB for the app, plus space for your database
• CPU: Any modern CPU. Runs fine on a Raspberry Pi 4.
• OS: Anything that runs Docker — Linux, macOS, Windows, Unraid, Synology, etc.

Running on Unraid

1. Install the Docker Compose Manager plugin from Community Apps
2. Create a new stack
3. Paste the contents of docker-compose.yml
4. Create your .env file in the same folder
5. Start the stack

Or add each container individually through the Unraid Docker UI — see the Advanced Deployment guide.

Support

• GitHub Issues: Report bugs or request features
• Discussions: Ask questions and share tips

License

MIT — use it however you want.